Recently the citizens of the United States of America elected a new President: Donald Trump. While I doubt that anyone
can prove it, the negativity concerning Trump on the social media sites seems to
outweigh those singing his praises. It’s interesting, in a sad sort of way, how
before his presidency even really has taken off in earnest, some already think
him worthy of a good old fashioned impeachment, whereas others seem ready to
place a golden crown on his head (All hail, King Trump - Hmm). I’ve caught
myself a time or two about to add my two-cents worth to the milieu of rhetoric
spewed forth from both camps, but thankfully, for the most part, I’ve held my
tongue. However, what really strikes me is the similarity of the nay-sayer’s
camp with that of those who dragged a woman caught in the act of adultery
before Jesus for his verdict of the situation, and more specifically, the
punishment.
Is there is a correlation between Trump’s “coronation,” that
poor unsuspecting woman, and you and me? “But
what do You say [to do with her – what is Your sentence]?” I wonder.
Maybe a refresher of
the biblical account is first in order:
“Teacher, they said,
This woman has been caught in the very act of adultery. Now Moses in the Law
commanded us that such [women – offenders] shall be stoned to death. But what
do You say [to do with her – what is Your sentence]? This they said to try
(test) Him, hoping they might find a charge on which to accuse Him. But Jesus
stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger. However, when they
persisted with their question, He raised himself up and said, Let him who is
without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her. Then He bent down
and went on writing on the ground with His finger. They listened to Him, and
then they began going out, conscience-stricken, one by one, from the oldest
down to the last one of them, till Jesus was left alone, with the woman
standing there before Him in the center of the court. When Jesus raised Himself
up, He said to her, Woman, where are your accusers? Has no man condemned you?
She answered, No one, Lord! And Jesus said, I do not condemn you either. Go on
your way and from now on sin no more.” (John 8: 4-11; Amplified)
I’ve often mused, what ever became of the man she was caught
with? I mean, was he not just as guilty of committing adultery as she was? Did
he not also deserve to be stoned to death? Perhaps in that male-dominated
society he was strangely exempted. But that wasn’t really the point, was it? Ultimately,
I doubt the accusers even really cared about the woman’s act of adultery; they
were really only there in hopes of trapping Jesus. Sometimes I think political
rhetoric is much the same; people don’t really care what the politician is or
isn’t about, as much as they’d rather crucify those who think differently than
they do on the matter in question.
Moses and Adultery.
There is an interesting parallel between this passage in
John’s gospel and another passage in Numbers chapter 5 that I read recently, in
which God gives Moses a “test for
adultery.” I would suggest you re-read that chapter before reading on in
this post. In both the Old and New Testament accounts, we see some striking
similarities:
Both deal with a wife who has committed adultery, either by
being physically caught in the act, or as suspected by her husband of being
guilty of infidelity.
Both deal with a consequence; either being stoned to death,
or cursed to the point of her body swelling up and her thigh falling away, in
the case of being proven guilty.
Both deal with dust and dirt, in both the tabernacle and
temple court floors, as part of the condemnation.
Both deal with holy, or living, water; in the Old Testament
account, the Amplified translation suggests that it may have come from the
sacred laver in the tabernacle, whereas in the New Testament, it is Jesus
himself who is the giver of “living water” (John 7:38).
Both deal with a woman’s hair hanging loose, although I
confess it doesn’t specifically say that in John’s account, but given that she
was “caught in the very act of adultery,”
it is safe to assume that her hair wasn’t neatly done up in a bun at the time,
or tucked away in a hijab, during the sexual act in question.
Both offer hope, either by her body not swelling up and her
thigh falling away (and by default, her being innocent of adultery), or by an
encounter with Jesus. By the way, just what was this “thigh falling away?” Some
commentators suggest it was little more than a polite way of suggesting that
the woman would no longer be able to bear children, which in itself in that
society, would not only be shameful, but essentially seen as being cursed.
Both offer hope in that neither the priest nor Jesus
condemns; the priest leaves the judgment to the drinking of the dirt and holy
water potion, and the accusers in the New Testament account look for a judgment
from Jesus, the Living Water, who also stirs his finger through perhaps the
very same dirt. What was he writing? Hmm, I wonder. Some have speculated that
he literally wrote in the dirt the sins of her accusers. Maybe he did.
So what does Moses’ test for adultery, Jesus and the woman
caught in the act of adultery, and political rhetoric concerning Trump (or any
other politician) have in common? Maybe nothing, maybe everything; at the very
least, I had a “Hmm” moment.
Law or Grace?
It’s not about whether Trump should or should not have won
the presidency. It’s not about whether he’s honest or not. It’s not even about
whether he is or isn’t a genuine Christian or whether he’s a “sinner” or not.
It has nothing to do about whether or not a wall should be erected or admission
to the USA be denied or granted to people of certain geographical areas, and by
default, religions.
The way I see it all has to do with our attitudes towards
others. We’re so quick to apply a legalistic test for adultery, or better yet,
test for __________ (insert sin here), perhaps citing some Old Testament
law-like penalty to Trump (or towards whomever we’re venting on this week).
Maybe we all need to spend a little time looking over Jesus’
shoulder as he writes in the dirt. What is he writing there? Do you see your
own shortcomings listed in the dirt? Do I see mine? Yes, I see mine, and that
is why I’ve started dropping my stones more and more regularly lately rather
than hurl them at some poor unsuspecting adulteress (or politician), no matter
how much I think they may deserve it.
In his excellent book, The Way of Grace, personal friend and author Bruce Hubbard writes:
“when truth crashes
into our little world, we just blame something or someone else, and insist that
our own life is under control. We believe that if others would just change,
then everything would be all right. In such a state, we walk in darkness and we
neither see nor understand our actual condition; we are blind to our own
poverty and wretchedness. We are sightless to our nakedness, and hence have no
feeling of shame; our eyes of self righteousness are blinded to the fact that
we are contemptible and pathetic, as we self define our world around us”
(p.218; in reference to John 8: 3-11, and Revelation 3: 14, 16-20).
Ouch, and yet, he really hits the nail right on the head. Do
you see yourself in there? I sure see me as being here a time or two … or ten.
Maybe it is time to understand our actual condition and practice
a little more grace in the way we deal with others, and our perceived flaws in
them, remembering that if we want to throw stones at others, there is
ultimately no good reason that stones shouldn’t be thrown back our way too. As
someone once said, when we point a (accusatory) finger at someone else, there
are always four fingers pointing back at us.
How often has God been gracious to you and me? Ought we not
to strive and treat our fellow man likewise, regardless of the “sin,” or
pseudo-sin, we perceive them as being guilty of? But when our
self-righteousness gets in the way, the truth of the matter is often very
different, isn’t it?
That was the ultimate problem of the Scribes and Pharisees when
they brought the woman to Jesus, but often it’s the ultimate problem with you
and me as well. Thankfully at this point, I recognize that I have four fingers
pointed back at me, and as such, I speak now primarily to myself: What about
you, Will, are you really sinless enough to cast that first stone? Really? Hmm,
I wonder.
Truth be known, I think I have some apologizing to do.
Finally, Consider
This:
“Everyone must submit
himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which
God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”
(Romans 13:1; NIV)
“The first thing I
want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.
Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be
quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is
the way our Savior God wants us to live.” (1 Timothy 2: 1-2; The Message)
“You have heard that
it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to
you, ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may
be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil
and the good, and sends rain on the just and unjust. For if you love those who
love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do
not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your
heavenly Father is perfect.” (Jesus; Matthew 5: 43-48; ESV)
I didn’t put that in the Bible; God did. Maybe it’s
important.
Maybe, just maybe, no matter what we think of Trump (or any
other political leader for that matter), he (or she) has been placed there by
God in order to carry out God’s purposes, be they good, or be they evil; be
they to bless the nation, or be they to curse the nation. Remember the
Assyrians of old? As evil as a nation that they were, they were sent by God to
the walls of Jerusalem to carry out God’s judgment on a sinful and evil and
obstinate nation of Israel. What if God were once again raising a leader to
punish a nation? What if this time it was America, or Canada, or __________
(insert your native country here).
Am I suggesting that I am a Donald Trump supporter? Not for
a second! How about Canadian politics; am I a Justin Trudeau supporter? Not for
even a fraction of a second! How about in my home province of Alberta? Do I
support Premier Notley? Nope; as far as political leaders go, in my humble
opinion, she’s probably the worst yet! Still, the bottom line is, we are called
to pray for our leaders as opposed to cursing them. And the funny thing is, if
I genuinely and earnestly pray for someone that I have a hard time
appreciating, be it a political leader or some other “enemy,” my attitude
toward them inevitably begins to soften. When was the last time you prayed for
a political leader that you don’t agree with? Let’s be honest! I thought so!
But I’m no better.
Got an enemy? Got a president or political leader you
despise? Go ahead and throw those stones, if you must, or pray for them and
take Jesus’ approach of raising yourself up from the dirt and saying, “Woman, where are your accusers? Has no man
condemned you? She answered, No one, Lord! And Jesus said, I do not condemn you
either. Go on your way and from now on sin no more.” You’ll be the bigger
man or woman for it.
Anyways, I’ve rambled on enough; something to think about.
Peace.
Photo Credit: Alisdare Hickson; Flickr Creative Commons
Photo Credit: Alisdare Hickson; Flickr Creative Commons
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